-this issue was written by Morkskittar, KCM of the Order of the Dragon
Welcome to the Liber Tactica, where we will explore different armies and how to use them. This issue, we will explore Skaven.
SKAVEN
NOTE: This is primarily addressed to Skaven players
The Skaven are one of the most challenging armies to play. They have low Leadership, and aren't great fighters either. Their sheer numbers make up for that. Many a time I have won combats with units more powerful than my own because of my rank bonus and outnumbering. You have to be careful, though... guard your flanks! Getting charged there will negate your rank bonus. Also, the Strength in numbers rule will be negated, so you will probably fail any Leadership tests required. Skaven, being the vile rat-men they are, move as fast as elves, and can use their speed to outmanoeuvre most opponents (unless you're stupid like me). they also have a higher initiative than most other armies (elves beat us there... GRRRRRR!), so you will usually strike first in combat. A huge advantage. Also, Skaven War Machines can be pretty nasty. They can hurt your guys too, though. You need to be careful with them, as they are unreliable.
SKAVEN TROOPS
GREY SEERS These guys are Lord level characters, and very powerful mages. They have the potential to get any spell, and they are level 4 wizards. They come standard with 4 Warpstone Tokens, which can be used like power dice (except they might hurt you). If mounted on a Screaming Bell, he can see pretty far. The Bell can do lots of damage, too. If combined with 3 Warlock Engineers (fully equipped), you can dominate the Magic Phase. Magical Domination is risky, though. I usually only use Grey Seers against magic-heavy armies, or if I am playing a 2000 point battle or higher, when I can have two Lord Choices. You should always give this guy a ward save.
WARLORDS Warlords are the alternative to Grey Seers. They have a higher Leadership value and are better fighters. They use up a Lord Choice. Also, Warlords are a lot cheaper, so you can afford more guys. Always remember to give this guy armour and if you have to choose between a Grey seer and a Warlord, CHOOSE THIS GUY!!!! I would recommend using this rat against fight heavy armies with little magic.
CHIEFTANS Chieftans are hero-level charcters. They are really only good for carrying battle standards or for carrying the Brass Orb. They can provide some fighting support for your troops, but I would not recommend them. A good Tactic with these guys is to give them the Brass Orb and send him out to hunt with Skitterleap.
PLAGUE PRIESTS These guys just kick butt, and only take up one hero choice. If you want a magic-heavy army with one fighting character, I would say take this guy. He can still generate dice for you if you give him the Liber Bubonicus. Don't bother giving him a Warpstone token, though. If you want a fighty army, then give him either a powerful weapon or magical armour (I would recommend the weapon), as he has no armour save, and with a weapon he can do a lot of damage, especially with frenzy.
WARLOCK ENGINEERS These guys are good to have just to give you dice to dispel and cast. They can also allow you to cast Warp Lightning, a potentially dangerous spell, more than once with multiple characters (once per character). I would recommend one, if not more, of these awesome heroes.
MASTER MOULDERS I have never seen any use for these heroes, except to help boost Clan Moulder troops. They also can have one or a few magic items that ONLY members of their Clan can have.
ASSASSINS Skaven are one of the two races with assassins, and they are really good. They can hide in your units and leap out to attack first in the Close Combat Phase. I usually give him A Weeping Blade so that when he pops out he can take out a character. you could also deploy him (no females in a Skaven army- only males- females only for breeding)in a unit of Gutter Runners and deploy them as scouts. there are so many other ways you can use them, I can't even list them. These guys are the perfect surprise for your opponent. Plus, they are only a hero choice.
CLANRATS These are the basic Skaven unit. You should always take units of at least 25, as these guys NEED to outnember their enemies, or they're dead. They are only 5 points per model, too. they are cheap. Don't bother giving them spears. It isn't worth it. They have a 4+ Armpour save when they use H/W (Hand Weapon),shield, and the light armour that they come with. Always give them full command(sometimes you can getid of the musician and/or clawleader; I wouldn't recommend it, though. They always need a Standard Bearer).
CLANRAT SLAVES These are some of the worst troops in the game. they have a really low Leadership value. The only thing that you can really use them (well) for is as bait, to lure your opponent into a bad position.
STORMVERMIN Stormvermin are elite Clanrats, really. They have a higher WS, and better armor. Stormvermin still won't stand up to very much, though.
RAT SWARMS/PLAGUE RAT SWARMS these swarms come in handy to hold up troops that you don't want to get into combat with the rest of your army. They are UNBREAKABLE, so you don't have to worry about them running. Plague Rat Swarms acually might hurt something. Personally, though, I don't like them.
NIGHT RUNNERS Excellent Skirmishing troops. They are cheap, and best when fielded in units of 10. If you use them, put them on the flank. They also move very quickly. You'll have to waqtch out, though, as they run very easily.
GIANT RATS Giant Rats are fast troops with a lot of ranks. They are really good, as their numbers often win the day. They come in packs of six Giant Rats and one Packmaster, and they are only 30 points each. I would recommend taking these.
POISONED WIND GLOBADIERS These guys are Skaven that throw glass spheres at things. The spheres explode and kill things with the gas that was inside of them. They are good against heavily armoured targets, as the gas inores Armour Saves, but otherwise, they don't do much. they are unreliable, they run a lot, and are terrible in Close Combat. Like Rat Swarms, I personally don't like them (the models are cool, though).
GUTTER RUNNERS These are the elite of Clan Eshin. very stealthy. They can have a variety of weapons, and are adaptable. Perfect for hunting down lone enemy models!
RAT OGRES These are awesome models, and are really powerful! The cause fear and can plow through almost anything! The Packmasters behind them can add to the carnage with their whips! These hideous mosters of Clan Moulder I would recommend taking!
PLAGUE MONKS These are frenzied guys with a lot of attacks! Always give them extra Hand Weapons. They have a high toughness, but no armour save. I usually pit them against fear-causing enemies, as they won't run (unless their frenzy is taken away...)...
WARPLOCK JEZZAILS These are Skaven with long rifles. They have a really long range, and they do a lot of damage! They should be used against heavily armoured-opponents, as their armour will mean almost nothing...
PLAGUE CENSER BEARERS Nasty. Just nasty. These guys are very maneouvreable, as they are skirmishers, and with the gas from their Plague Censers, armour is nothing (the guys often kill themselves with their own gas, though). The Plague Censers themselves, being the flails that they are, will also do a lot of damage. These are top-notch anti-armour units.
WARP-LIGHTNING CANNON This thing can either win you the game, or wipe out your army. The Warp-Lightning Cannon is like a giant rail gun. It shoots through guys. It works best when deployed on the flank, as to restrict the enemy's movements, and so that it can fire across the opposing army. Do not, however, rely on this thing. If you do, you will probably lose. It is very unpredictable. You can't trust it.
Lizardmen: A common Skaven foe. These guys are tough. On average, the two things that you have to worry about are Skinks and Saurus. Skinks are extremely annoying and can hit you where it hurts. A good way to counter these cheap Skirmishers are with cheap Skirmishers of your own! Take at least two units of Night Runners. They won't do much if they die, and they can hold up the Skinks. Saurus are tough in combat, but many times they find themselves outnumbered and flanked so that I win. You need to outmanouevre them. Hit 'em in the flank. You don't want them to win a combat, or otherwise, you will have a unit of Killing Machines behind your line... A not on Slann: Second Generation Slann are extremely powerful mages. I have found that the way to get rid of them that succeeds most often is with the 'Toad-Popper'. Skitterleap a Character with the Brass Orb near the Slann, chuck it at him, and pray. I have almost killed a Slann three times with this...